It’s not the big things spoiling your small business growth; it’s the small, seemingly insignificant assumptions that are painfully stalling growth for many entrepreneurs. Although some assumptions play a valuable role in growing a business – like the ones you need when making financial projections – most assumptions are unwarranted.

Assumptions create illusions viewed as the truth. They direct our decisions and influence how and if a business grows. Are any of these assumptions thwarting your business growth?

1. Client work always comes first.
2. I always have to be available – just in case someone needs me.
3. Everyone is my “target audience”.
4. I can’t afford to hire the kind of quality employee I’d like.
5. I can’t disconnect from email on weekends.
6. I can’t find time for “strategic thinking”.
7. If I ask for help, it’s a sign of weakness.
8. If I charge what I want or request compensation for work beyond the original scope of work, I’ll lose the client.

Break Through Assumptions

Assumptions are difficult to identify. They come to the party masquerading as truth and reason. To unmask these culprits, consider these two tips:

1. Cultivate Awareness. Before assuming what assumptions you hold dear to your heart, develop insight into your default beliefs. When you sense a desire to “push back” against an idea or want to exclaim, “that’s baloney!” it’s likely an assumption worthy of questioning is knocking at your door.

2. Challenge Assumptions. When an assumption reare its ugly head, dispute the belief by asking “what if”. Asking “what if” uncovers the real reason behind the assumption. It helps you get at the truth and develop beliefs that are more accurate.

According to wikipedia, when we assume, “it makes an a** out of you and me”. Frankly, that’s the least of my worries! I’d rather be an a** than out of business.

What assumptions do you need to challenge?

While we’re on the subject, read on:

Getting Past Your Fears and Growing a Successful Business

Overcome Underpricing, & its Evil Twin, Underearning in Small Business

Betting on Business Growth? Don’t Snub the Importance of Planning

Sound Off: Can Your Small Business Succeed on a 25-hour Workweek?

It Takes a Village To Run a Successful Business

Growing your small business wasn’t intended to be chaotic, confusing, overwhelming, and stressful. You dreamt that small business ownership would be fun, exciting, thrilling, rewarding, and would grow like a weed. What happened?! It all started when you said, “yes” to conventional wisdom.

Small business owners say “yes” more than is necessary to grow their business. Too often small business entrepreneurs say “yes” because conventional wisdom dictates certain actions to succeed in business.

For instance, conventional wisdom says that you should subscribe to e-newsletters to keep up-to-the-minute with the latest and greatest in your industry. Although it’s exciting and may feel necessary to have this information at your disposal, it actually inundates your inbox, pulls you off course, and distracts you from your primary focus.

Conventional wisdom nudges you to attend networking events or join networking groups. While this may be a successful tactic for some industries, when you know your ideal client won’t be attending, why continue to follow conventional wisdom? The same advice pertains to joining a local Chamber of Commerce. At one time, a chamber membership was invaluable for growing business but they have since lost their relevance for small business.

Equally astonishing is when we continue to execute actions that clearly aren’t generating results – because conventional business wisdom instructs you to do so. “Yes” is uttered much too often to conventional wisdom.

Saying “yes” adds a level of complexity to your business that makes your business harder to manage. Complexity creates unnecessary confusion and chaos. As a result, we’re many times overwhelmed and stressed with all we have to do – little of which will actually help us grow. Most importantly, when focus diffuses, business growth slows.

Are you ready to make “no” your default response to conventional wisdom and its subsequent complexity? Keep your business clean, lean, nimble, and on the grow.

Not sure what actions deserve a “yes” and which ones warrant a “no”? I’m happy to help streamline your business so you can grow more quickly.